The Buffalo Sabres' season was already a dumpster fire. On Friday, they added some fuel.

The team announced that they'd sent 2012 first-round pick Mikhail Grigorenko back to his junior team and essentially wasted a year of his entry-level contract.

Grigorenko had one goal and four assists in 22 games, averaging less than 10 minutes of ice time. When he made the club out of training camp, then stayed past the six-game trial period, the assumption was that he'd get a chance to play—the Sabres, after all, had assessed that the NHL was the best place for his development, and that he could help them win hockey games.

They were dead wrong on the latter—Buffalo has the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference and fired coach Lindy Ruff last month. As for the former, Grigorenko was a healthy scratch four times, largely played with bottom-six linemates and averaged 38 seconds of power-play time a game. Not exactly how you want to use a potential top-six center under any circumstance—let alone when he could be dominating elsewhere.

Throw in the fact that those 22 games of Grigorenko at 18 years old cost 82 cost-controlled games of Grigorenko at 21, and you might have the worst example of Buffalo's mismanagement in a season full of them.

GM Darcy Regier, naturally, thought of it more positively and said that Grigorenko could return after the Quebec Remparts' postseason.

"It was an experiment. I think there certainly are benefits. He has a very good understanding of what it's going to take to play in the National Hockey League going forward," Regier told reporters on Friday.

"In the end, he's got an opportunity to go back to Quebec, be the go-to guy, play 20 to 22 minutes."

Regier added that the team's struggles played a part, saying that if they were hitting on all cylinders, "it would be easier to support the young man."

Regier expects Grigorenko to challenge for a permanent spot next season, particularly if he improves his play without the puck.

"In the end, this came down to what's best for Mikhail. There are circumstances surrounding it, but really it was just what's best for this young man," Regier said.

"Based on my conversations with him, I think this has been a very good thing."